'Years and Years' | TV Series Review

About it

The series shows the possible political, technological and economical changes over the span of 15 years. These possible and slightly worrying changes are shown through the eyes of a Manchester-based Lyons family.

Initial reaction

At first, it comes off as a typical family drama; the characters are all introduced showing where they are currently at, then discussing how they think the future could look for the most recent addition to their family. From here, the show is propelled into a stark look at how changes to politics can drastically change the world we live in.

From the very first episode of this six-part series, I absolutely fell in love with both the premises and the characters. The characters were relatable; the family dynamic was hilarious, heartbreaking, and curious to watch unfold. Each character had something different to bring to the show and was the perfect subjects to show how the world changed; with each one highlighting the effects that political change has on people of various classes and creeds.

Stand out moments

• Technological advancement: one of the topics the show looks at is how far science will progress in the near future. This was super interesting and ever so slightly scary. One of the tech-advances that really stood out was the “fad” of getting so connected to the internet that they actually want to transplant their conscious onto the internet. The worrying thing about this was that of all the scenarios the show presents, this was one that could potentially come true; maybe not in the near future but definitely at some point.
• Muriel Deacon (Anne Reid): the matriarch of the family, Gran holds true throughout the show of being the voice of reason and keeping the siblings grounded and honest. Anne Reid has always been an unexpected favourite actress of mine; she brings this sarcastic and witty woman to life and makes her one of the most memorable characters of the whole show. Muriel also embodies the generation that exists today, a generation that has seen a vast change in their lifetimes and are the only ones who know that things get bad but will eventually right themselves again.
• Emma Thompson: honestly the most unexpected person to appear in the show for me. I don’t know why, I just never thought she’d be in a show like this. Boy, did she make an impression. She plays a controversial and charismatic politician, Vivienne Rook, who aspires to become the next Prime Minister. Her quick replies and snappy comments make her character somewhat relatable when you think about some of the more “out there” politicians we have at the moment.

Scarily realistic

As each episode plays out, there are more and more issues that arise that propels the family and the country into a bleaker and harder future to deal with. This is one of the main points of the show that kept me hooked throughout. Each episode ends on a cliff-hanger that sees one member or multiple members of the family dealing with this new future that now afflicts them.

When it comes to these endings, they can come across as unrealistic and completely not possible. However, they are always grounded by something that is currently happening in our society today, making these scenarios much more realistic and actually possible. Weirdly, it is this that makes the show slightly creepy to watch at times. It brings up questions such as; could this happen? What if a nuclear war did break out? These questions have been hanging around for years and are made worse by our current political climate.

Where could it have been better?

Now as much as I loved this show, it wasn’t without its flaws. One that really did start to agitate me was the focus on Daniel Lyons (Russell Tovey) and his love affair. I enjoyed that the show included an openly gay character, he just seemed to fall into multiple tropes that never sit right with me. Firstly, he has an affair from the first episode (apparently that’s all gay people are capable of); secondly, the relationship between him and Vitkor ends up taking center stage of the show. Of course, I was rooting for them, but with everything else that was happening to the family, the country, and even them, it was hard to see a romance plot surrounded by so much drama and worry.

Then ignoring this, there was the pacing. Occasionally there were moments where I felt like everything slowed down just a bit too much. I ended up having time to think about what I was watching and then ended up having time to wander how long I’d been watching. Never a good moment for a TV show when you notice how long you’ve been watching a show.

Thankfully, the action and drama that surrounded these moments was indeed enough to keep me watching and enjoying the faster moments.

In conclusion

Overall, I absolutely loved the show. It was a wild ride from start to finish; each episode brought a new twist into how the world can change as new issues arise. The characters were so wonderfully written and gave the show a great perspective to help bring all those issues to life. At the end of the day, I’m absolutely gutted that it is simply one miniseries; well, as far as I can see there isn’t any plans to bring in another episode. For now, I’ll just have to look for another new show that inspires me as much as this one did.